After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

Not long after Chen Futu arrived in the capital, he caused the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Prince to fall apart. In his spare time, he also made some connections with those young masters from noble families. Now that his plan was almost complete, it was time to close the net.

The news of the Crown Princess being confined to her home spread like wildfire. Now, most of the nobles in the court have more or less realized that the Crown Prince plans to replace the Crown Prince as the new head of the Eastern Palace. Some people have begun to cultivate good relations with the new father-in-law of the Emperor, while the Liang family has gradually been alienated.

However, she was still one step away from being deposed as the Crown Princess.

In the following days, Chen Futu, through the treacherous officials controlled by Liu Longyue, sowed discord among the princes and joined forces with the court officials to reduce the power of the princes.

The crown prince did not outwardly agree, but instead sent people to monitor the princes in the capital.

There's a sense of urgency in Beijing right now, like a storm brewing.

Ake's matter was also handled well. The five-clawed dragon robe appeared in the Prince Xin's mansion. The Crown Prince had spies in the mansions of various princes, and the news quickly reached his ears, which made him extremely angry.

First, Prince Xin seized the dragon cup, then Prince Kang secretly hid the Imperial Seal of the State, and now Prince Xin has secretly made a dragon robe to hide it. Everyone feels that he, as the eldest brother, is not sharp enough.

There are even rumors that when Prince Xin was in his fiefdom, he liked to wear a five-clawed dragon robe and have sexual relations with his wives and concubines.

"Your Highness, Prince Xin has overstepped his bounds and deserves severe punishment!"

"Yes, we must not let brotherly affection lead the Great Qian Dynasty into chaos and crisis."

The court officials seized the opportunity to submit memorials impeaching the Prince, which was due to the Prince's tyranny and notorious reputation.

The Crown Prince said sullenly, "Now that Prince Xin is imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court to reflect on his actions, he is unlikely to cause any more trouble."

"Your Highness is benevolent. Since we must guard against his disloyal intentions, why not strip him of his military power and fiefdom, and let him remain in the capital forever!"

"I second the proposal."

The officials were all in agreement, but Prince Chengzong of Kaiping sensed that something was amiss.

He didn't know why, but recently the prince had been getting into trouble one after another, as if an invisible hand was stirring up trouble and deliberately causing the crown prince and the prince to turn against each other.

After the court assembly, Emperor Sun Chengzong personally met with the Crown Prince and mentioned the matter.

After much hesitation, the Crown Prince explained the situation to Sun Chengzong, who exclaimed in surprise, "Is this true? Can Your Highness confirm the identity of that secret envoy? Was he sent by Zhao Xier?"

"What does General Sun mean?"

"I believe that this scoundrel has come to the capital from afar with ill intentions. He has not been in the capital for long, yet he has already caused unrest in the palace. I fear that he has much bigger plans."

Sun Chengzong, as expected of the most relied-upon pillar of the royal family, saw through the trick at a glance.

However, the Crown Prince did not express any opinion. He knew that Sun Chengzong was worried about the country, but Zhu Guli was targeting the Prince from his perspective. Regardless of the other party's true purpose, at least he now had substantial evidence to control the Prince.

Seeing the Crown Prince's reaction, Emperor Chengzong understood his intentions. In the end, he sighed and left the palace.

After leaving the palace, Sun Chengzong went straight to the residence where the mission was stationed.

Chen Futu was quite surprised to hear that he had come, and then went to receive him personally.

This was the first time the two had a face-to-face conversation since the Battle of Chuzhou.

Sun Chengzong, with his keen eyes, looked him up and down. “Your Excellency has quite the methods. You’ve only just arrived in the capital and you’ve already caused quite a commotion.”

"General, be careful with your words. What do you mean by 'causing chaos and unrest'? Aren't you afraid the Crown Prince will overhear?"

"Your Excellency need not resort to sophistry. I cannot tell that you are from the Western Regions. Rather, you seem to be a spy sent from the Northern Frontier, intending to disrupt the fate of my Great Qian Dynasty."

"General Sun, a Duke of the State, how can you insult someone's innocence with mere words? Do you have any evidence?"

"I have a good eye for people. Remember this: if I catch you doing anything wrong, I will make sure your blood is spilled in the capital!"

After saying this, Sun Chengzong turned and left without lingering.

His insight was far more astute than that of the Crown Prince; he spotted the problem at a glance.

What Western Region merchant? In his view, Chocolate had none of the mercenary air of a merchant, nor the savagery inherent in the people of the Western Regions. On the contrary, he had an indescribable air of nobility, more like the carefree and detached demeanor of a superior who looked down on everything.

At the very least, the other envoys wouldn't dare to act recklessly in front of Sun Chengzong, let alone conspire with the Crown Prince!

After Sun Chengzong left, Liu Longyue came to her side and whispered a reminder, "Your Majesty, be careful. Sun Chengzong is no ordinary person. I'm afraid he will figure out your identity. At that time, even if you have the Imperial Seal, it will be useless. The Crown Prince will definitely kill you."

"No rush, wait two more days."

Chen Futu wanted to see Prince Xin's reaction and Liang Huan's arrival in the capital.

Two or three days passed in the blink of an eye, and since Sun Chengzong left the residence, there were many more spies around.

Ake said they were all sent by Sun Chengzong. He even visited the Honglu Temple to inquire about the situation of the envoys from Xizhao over the years. With his eyesight, he would soon determine that Zhu Guli was not from Xizhao, so it was best not to wait any longer.

“Killing Sun Chengzong would undoubtedly cripple the Great Qian.”

Compared to sowing discord between the Crown Prince and the Prince, Chen Futu was more interested in eliminating this formidable enemy.

Unfortunately, given Sun Chengzong's strength and the ruthlessness honed on the battlefield, it's unlikely that Ake could kill him silently.

Ake said, "I can stay and deal with him after the king leaves."

"No!"

Qiwen walked over and said, "This journey is fraught with danger. Even if we can leave, there will probably be a great battle. You need to stay in the shadows and protect the king at all times."

Qiwen was worried that the Crown Prince and Sun Chengzong would lay a trap after leaving the city. The capital was full of experts, such as the red-clothed eunuch, who was a formidable opponent. If they were all sent out to intercept and kill him, he alone could not protect the king.

Chen Futu said to Ake, "Sun Chengzong was a talented man. It's a pity he died because of a conspiracy. Now that time is of the essence, we can deal with him on the battlefield. That would be a good way to give him a proper end."

Chen Futu made a decision, and the matter came to an end. Immediately afterwards, Liu Longyue and Yan Qing began to plan their departure from the capital.

The following morning, just as dawn broke, Chen Futu received news that Prince Xin had escaped from the Grand Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. He was rescued by powerful figures who had killed many people, and it was said that he was currently hiding somewhere in the capital.

The Crown Prince first sealed off the Prince Xin's residence, and then dispatched the city patrol battalion, the city defense bureau, and the imperial guards to jointly arrest him.

"They escaped? That's interesting."

Chen Futu's opinion of Prince Xin changed slightly.

Liu Longyue said, "Prince Xin is ignorant and incompetent. Given his personality, he certainly doesn't want to be imprisoned in the Grand Court of Imperial Clan Affairs for the rest of his life. Rebellion is inevitable, and the other Princes of Xin may also take action next."

As they were speaking, a group of government troops burst into the residence. "By order of the Crown Prince, we are searching for Prince Xin. Please cooperate!"

"As you wish."

Chen Futu gestured for everyone to come out, allowing the government troops to search freely.

Unexpectedly, when the government troops searched the backyard of the mansion, they found Prince Xin and his subordinates hiding in the cellar. A fight broke out between the two sides, causing chaos in the mansion.

Looking at the chaotic scene, Chen Futu was speechless. "That damned Prince Xin! I didn't even have a chance to do anything to him, but he's the one who's trying to harm me!"